Not very often we come across disruptive ideas which has the potential to define new rules for certain industries. Some ideas/ initiatives are so good that they can sell themselves, but most disruptive ideas got buried or lost at the first launch. And one of the fatal reasons is the initial marketing of the idea was not planed carefully.
There are too many risks when launching a disruptive idea:
- Competitors can quickly replicate the idea and launch with a bigger and louder campaign if they have the budget
- The idea can easily be communicated incorrectly and consumers could lose faith or interest at the first exposure
- The execution of the idea can be totally different from the initial plan due to internal and external limitations
Considering the risks around us, we know the idea we have is an idea that will sell itself. Therefore, we need to make the loudest sound in the industry at the first launch to establish the largest ground. As the first brand to launch this bold idea, our marketing plan will focus on delivering the message to the widest reach.
The client and I are planning to go with a initial blast and facilitate the social discussions and public relations after the blast. What dose this mean?
Stage One: Generating interest and suspense prior to launch. We want to keep it a secrete before launch, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want interests. A series of lead generation campaigns will be implemented in this period, keeping the idea a secrete but giving a glimpse of the launch product to the early adopters.
Stage Two: Media blast at launch. The marketing mix will contain a viral campaign along with wide reach online and offline campaigns with simple message (the idea is complex, but the marketing message has to be simple to understand). With a majority of the budget poor into this period, we aim a achieve maximum reach and create echo effects for the next stage.
Stage Three: Being the moderator and facilitator of marketing message. At this stage, the objective is to keep the momentum of the launch and make sure the marketing message is correct at all times. Due to the complexity of the idea, we need to be the authority voice in the internet, moderate and facilitate online marketing messages and discussions.
As the idea (program) grows, the marketing objective is to continue introducing new customers and service return visitors.
I will come back and continue this post with results of this plan in forth quarter.
Stay tuned…